Silence
by LittleWhiteTie
Summary: Keith and Shiro are in danger. It's up to Allura and Lance to save them.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I'm more active on AO3 and tumblr and have more things posted there (username littlewhitetie for both)!_

* * *

"Lance? Will you tell me a story?"

It's a simple enough request, but Lance seems confused by it. He raises a thin eyebrow as he casts Allura a sidelong glance. "Uh, sure. What about?"

"Anything," Allura says. "I just… can't stand this silence."

The cave is too quiet, nothing but the occasional crunch of crystals beneath their feet echoing through the tunnels. Her head is too quiet, the usual presence of the Lions muted by the strange walls. Worse than all that, though, is the dead silence over the comms. No word from Keith or Shiro; no way of tracking them down. They could be anywhere in here.

"Yeah," Lance says. "I know what you mean. So, a story. How 'bout this. Once upon a time, there was a really cool space princess, who had a knight. Well, she had five knights, but one of them was especially awesome. He was brave, and strong, and smart, and popular, and really, really good-looking."

"Was her knight named Shiro?" Allura asks, with a teasing smile.

"What? No! It was Lan— …do. His name was Lando."

"What a terrible name," she says.

"Yeah, I regret it already, but too late now. So Lando and Princess… uh... Allana? Yeah, Princess Allana, along with two of her other, less attractive knights, were—"

"What were the others' names?" she interrupts.

"Uh… Keef and… Shoro."

Allura laughs aloud at that.

"Hey. It's not their fault the person who named them had to do it on the spot," he says, defensively. "So, yeah, Allana, Lando, Keef, and Shoro were chillin' in their space castle out in space, while their friends were busy on some super boring tech mission in another galaxy. Suddenly, they received a distress signal from the, uh…" he pauses, scrunching up his face as he tries to think of a name. "Screw it, they're just gonna stay the Ferexians.

"Ferexis had been hit by this really bad pandemic that had infected thousands of people in, like, a week. There was a cure, but the ingredients for the medicine were super hard to get, and the Ferexians weren't in any shape to get it. So Allana, Lando, Keef, and Shoro went to go find the ingredients for them. Allana and Lando—who was clearly her favourite knight—went to the mountains south of the capital to gather serafi roots, while Keef and Shoro went north to find the atraxeth flowers that grew in the crystal caves."

"How can you be certain Keef or Shoro were not her favourite?" she asks, her lips curving upward.

"Uh, 'cause those other guys were boring, obviously," he says. "So Allana was _super_ happy she got to be paired up with the best knight ever, and she had an awesome time 'cause Lando was so handsome and witty and smart. It took a while, but Allana and Lando eventually found the roots they were looking for. No problem.

"But while they were out, something bad happened. There was a terrible empire that had enslaved most of the universe, and Ferexis was the empire's main supplier of one of the components needed for the ion cannon things on their ships."

"What was the empire called?" she asks.

Lance groans. "Do I have to name _everything?"_

She nods.

"Fine. It was the _Glara_ Empire. Happy?"

"Very," she says.

Lance huffs. "Okay. So while our dashing heroes were off getting the ingredients, the Glara dropped by Ferexis to collect their ion cannon stuff. The Ferexians didn't have it, but they'd prepared for this day. They unleashed a really terrible nanoweapon into the atmosphere that would infect the Glara and mess with their tech all at once.

"Allana and Lando didn't find out about this until vargas later, when they came back to the city with the roots. When they got back, there were broken sentries all over. The sentries weren't just shut down, they were, like, twitching, or—or fried. And there were… there were soldiers on the ground… sick, a-and convulsing _,_ and _dying…"_ His breath hitches.

"That is enough detail," she says, tersely. She tries to ignore the prickling sensation behind her eyelids, wishing she could scour away the image burned into her mind. "Please move on with the story."

"Y-yeah. Right. Um, well, Keef and Shoro could've been affected by the anti-Glara weapon, too. They hadn't come back yet, so Allana and Lando went into the cave to find them. Allana and Lando couldn't hear them over the comms, though that was definitely, definitely only 'cause something in the cave was messing with their comm system. But it meant they didn't have any idea where Keef and Shoro were. Lando and Allana walked for vargas and vargas and _still_ didn't see them."

"So what happened next?" Allura asks.

"Next, Allana had to decide which way to go, 'cause they'd reached another fork in the path," he says.

Allura's heart sinks as her eyes follow the path below their feet, finding the notch where it diverges. There are no signs of which way Keith and Shiro would have gone—if they'd even chosen this route in the first place. The odds of finding them along this route are already terrifyingly slim, and now the chances of finding them have been halved yet again.

The place is a maze. The winding cave is made all the more confusing by its reflective surfaces and too many light sources; crystals upon crystals in pink and blue and violet surround them, shiny and glowing. A 'funhouse', Lance had called it when they'd first entered, but this is _hardly_ fun.

"She chose to go right," she says, with a sigh. "Please tell me Lando and Allana found Keef and Shoro in time."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, totally," Lance says. "It didn't take much longer, and they found them, and Keef and Shoro were a hundred percent fine. They didn't actually need rescuing; they were completely safe. They were just, like, caught up in finding the flowers, or taking a long nap, or playing patty-cake, or something. They were happy to see Lando and Allana anyway, and they were all—" Lance raises his voice an octave, "Oh, Lando, you're so amazing and talented! If only we could be as cool as you are!"

Her lips turn up. "Did they really sound like that?"

"Yes. So Allana, Lando, Shoro, and Keef got back to the city no problem. They got the ingredients to the Ferexians and saved everyone. The Ferexians were super grateful and threw the heroes a parade—"

"A parade? Would they not still be recovering?"

"It was a small parade. Everyone had a good time, and then they all went back to the castle and took a nap. The end."

She gives him a smile. "Thank you for the story. It was perhaps not particularly imaginative, but I did enjoy the ending."

"Yeah. …Maybe I should've changed up the plot. It would've been better if Lando had just gone with Keef, like he was supposed to in the first place."

"Well, Allana did not object to the proposed change in plans," she says. Far from it. Allura loved Shiro and Keith dearly, but Lance… Lance knew how to make her smile.

A low, throaty roar echoes through the cave. She stiffens and grabs Lance's wrist, yanking him backward.

He furrows his brow in confusion. "What is it?"

"Did you not hear that?"

"No, but my _hideous_ human ears are inferior to yours," he says.

"They are… charming," she offers. "It sounded like some sort of creature. I think it may be behind us—we must proceed with caution. I can guard the rear."

"Alright."

Several tense doboshes pass, the heavy plod of footsteps and occasional growls getting progressively louder.

Finally, a large, blue creature comes into sight. It looks like a monstrous crossbreed between a crocodile and a xznly sqiwl. It's armoured in thick, shiny scales. Its fangs are visible from the outside, too many sharp teeth hanging out of its broad mouth.

She pushes Lance out of the way, and then she rushes at it.

"What—what are you _doing?"_ he gapes.

"Distracting it for you," she calls, veering away from him. She has to get its attention; she can't let it get to Lance.

The beast kicks up loose crystals on the ground with its forefoot, stomping, and then it charges at her.

For such an enormous creature, it's surprisingly fast. She manages to leap out of the way when it comes at her, tucking into a roll. But the blasts from Lance's gun have no effect, unable to get past its plated hide. Dodging won't be enough on her end.

She runs forward and, getting close enough, strikes it with her whip. It doesn't hurt it, but it _does_ make it very, very angry. It snaps its teeth at her. She nearly gags at the rank odour emanating from its fleshy mouth.

"Get back!" Lance yells.

"No! This is your chance," she calls. "If I remain close enough, it will keep trying to bite me. Shoot it in the mouth when its jaws are open."

"You're out of your mind," he says, but he doesn't object.

She lashes the monster with her whip again, this time aiming for its face. It rears on its hind legs before lurching forward, mouth gaping open, rows and rows of pointed teeth exposed. "Now!"

Lance takes several shots in rapid succession. He hits his mark, the blasts aimed perfectly between its sets of teeth to find the back of its vulnerable throat.

With a hideous screech, the beast collapses. The smell of burnt, putrid flesh penetrates her nostrils.

"Ew," he says. "So. Gross."

"It is rather disgusting," she says, wrinkling her nose. When she's certain it won't get back up, she turns to Lance and gives him a grin. "Great job. I knew you could do it."

The smile he returns isn't the usual beam he wears when he receives praise. "Thanks. But… Keith and Shiro. Would—would they have been able to…" He trails off. It would have been difficult for the two of them to defeat it even in top form, given their close range weapons and the beast's natural armour and _teeth_. As they are now…

"We have been in here for several vargas, and this is the first we've seen of these," she says. "There can't be many in here. They may not have encountered any at all."

"Okay, but still," he says, "we've seen, like, ten of those giant snake things."

"Eight at most," she says. "And those would not be so difficult for Keith to take care of with his sword."

"If he can use his sword. If he can even _move_ ," he says. "You saw those Galra soldiers."

"Keith is only half Galra," she says. "I am certain his symptoms are not nearly as bad." She reaches for Lance's arm and begins walking again, pulling him along. "Keith and Shiro are strong. They always manage to pull through. We will find them, and we _will_ bring them home, safe and sound."

Lance gives her a slight smile. "How do you do that? Manage to sound so confident, when things get bad. Know how to inspire hope, and stuff."

"Surely you know the answer," she says. "After all, you do the same for me."

He brightens at that. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we've got each other, then."

She smiles. "Absolutely."

…

As they continue walking, Lance fills the silence with commentary on their surroundings. Apparently, there are no caves like this on Earth. They're way more boring; the rock is always drab brown or grey, and they're really dark. Sometimes, though, there are things that glow in the caves, like mushrooms or weird worm things that hang from the ceiling—at least, according to a documentary he saw. He's never actually seen them in person.

There are a lot of things on Earth he hasn't seen. Most humans, it seems, haven't explored everything their planet has to offer. Allura can barely fathom the notion, but for a race that had never even travelled outside their own solar system before, it's not all that unexpected.

When they reach a small pool of water, Lance runs to it. He cups the water in his hands, slurping loudly.

While Lance is busy quenching his thirst, another large snake-like creature noiselessly slithers toward her. It glitters pink, shiny spikes running down its spine. Its diamond eyes flash.

As quietly as she can, Allura slaughters the creature before Lance notices. It only takes a few well-aimed strikes. Immediately, she drags its carcass out of sight, hiding it behind a wide crystal pillar. There is no need to worry Lance further.

Lance has many fears, and he's not quiet about them. He doesn't have quite as many as Hunk, but it's toward that end of the spectrum. He's often frightened, so it makes it all the more commendable that he's able to overcome that to protect others. He really is someone she's grown to admire.

As they continue onward, Lance keeps talking. It's idle chatter, but it's nice all the same. He tells her about a wide array of animals on Earth. It's strange that there would be so many of the same animals as on Altea, completely different planets with galaxies between them. At the same time, though, it's not all that surprising, considering how many uncanny similarities already exist between them. It's not exactly random chance—the Blue Lion went to Earth for a reason.

The animals on Earth sound quite boring, generally drab in colour and not nearly as intelligent as their Altean equivalents. All the same, many people own pets. While not particularly smart, they're supposedly nice to cuddle and play with.

Pidge is one such pet-owner. She has a dog at home that she misses. She had found great comfort in her dog when her father and brother went missing. Allura feels a pang of guilt for taking Pidge away from that, recruiting her in this war so far from home, but Lance assures her she's not just here out of obligation; she's chosen to stay of her own volition. She's found a home out here, too.

Allura wishes she could have heard this from Pidge directly. She wishes they were closer. Her hopes for a sisterly bond between them had been quickly quashed, and they don't talk all that much outside of missions. It's not just Pidge, either; she wishes she were closer to all of the paladins. Allura had distanced herself when the paladins had first come to the Castle, too afraid to gain more loved ones to lose. The paladins found their way into her heart all the same, but by then, the paladins had grown so close to one another, she didn't feel she could join them in activities outside of battle without intruding.

"Are you kidding?" Lance says, after she tells him—he has a way of getting her to open up in a way she never would with others. "We'd love to have you join us! We kinda always just assumed you wouldn't want to, or would be busy hanging out with Coran, or playing with the space mice, or something. Seriously, you're _always_ welcome to hang out with us. We'd like that a lot."

"…Are you certain?" she asks.

"C'mon," he says, with an easy smile. "If _Keith's_ invited, there's no way you're not."

She laughs. "What even started your rivalry with Keith in the first place? He told me before that he had no idea; he didn't even know who you were at the time."

"That's exactly it!" Lance says. "He didn't seem to care about anyone other than Shiro. He wouldn't give anyone else the time of day. I know better now, but at the time, I assumed it was 'cause he thought he was better than everyone else. The worst part about it was he _was_ better than everyone else, and he didn't even have to try."

She cocks her head to the side. "Why would that matter?"

He gives her a wry smile. "You've always been amazing at everything you do too, so you wouldn't really understand."

She's not really sure how to respond to that. "…Tell me more about animals."

He laughs. "Okay, maybe you don't always win gold for subtlety. But yeah, sure. Ostriches. Did you guys have ostriches on Altea?"

...

Many conversations, six snakes, and two crocodile-xznly squiwl creatures later, Allura interrupts Lance's explanation of 'bowling' when she hears the slightest noise from around the corner. It doesn't sound like any of the beasts they've encountered. No, it sounds like… a groan.

Allura grabs Lance's hand and breaks into a run.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N 29/07/2018: People were getting confused with the chaptering, so I've divided it up._

* * *

"Shiro?" Allura cries. "Keith?"

She and Lance round the corner to find a small alcove, paling at the sight. The scene is a far cry from the one described in Lance's story.

Shiro is propped up against the wall of the cave, leaning against his left shoulder. Most of his armour has been stripped off, lying in a pile beside him. The part of his right arm above his metal prosthesis is visible; part of the undersuit has been melted away. The exposed skin is burnt, a ghastly mess of red and black. He's barely conscious.

Keith is curled up not far away, his armour stripped off as well. His eyes are closed. His bangs are plastered to his forehead, face flushed.

"A-Allura? …Lance?" Shiro's voice is faint.

"We're here," Lance says.

While Lance runs over to Keith, Allura goes to Shiro's side.

Shiro's breathing is laboured and shallow. "Shiro," she says, voice fraught with anxiousness. She moves to take his pulse, but he recoils.

"No! Don't—don't touch me," he gasps. "You'll get hurt."

As if to prove his point, a thin ribbon of electricity sparks from the metal arm. A pained grunt escapes him as he jerks violently, his eyes screwing shut.

"Shiro!"

A couple gasping breaths later, he forces his eyes back open.

"Has this been happening since it started?" she asks, afraid to know the answer.

"O-off and on. It's—it's fine. Don't—don't worry about me. Worry about K-Keith."

"We are concerned about _both_ of you. Hold still." She leans in closer. He tries to object, but before he can get a syllable out, she commands, "Hold still and stay quiet."

She brings her ear just above his chest and listens. It's difficult to hear above his gasping breaths and the stuttering crackle emanating from his arm, but she can just make out his heartbeat.

Her eyes go wide. His heartbeat isn't right. Too fast; off rhythm. "Something's wrong with your heart."

"Yes. I know," he says. "So… so take Keith. Get him to—to safety. Don't worry… about me."

"What? No!" Lance shouts. "We're not leaving you!"

Keith stirs. "…Mm?"

"Keith," Lance says, lowering his voice. "Hey, buddy."

"Lance?" Keith croaks. He blinks a couple times. "Allura?"

"Hello, Keith," she says. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he says, but his voice is feeble. "…Shiro? Shiro, are you okay? 'm sorry, sorry I fell asleep. Didn't mean to."

"I'm alright," Shiro says. Liars, both of them. "I'll be fine. Go. Go with… Lance and Allura."

"No," Keith says. "We can't leave without you. We can't."

"Yes," Shiro says, "You can. And you… will."

"No one is leaving anyone behind," Allura says, firmly.

"What're you going to do?" Shiro challenges. "You can't t-touch me. And I'm not… walking out of here. You can't—you can't split up with those… creatures around. We've just gotten… lucky so far. None since… since…" He wrinkles his brow. "I don't actually… know what…"

"The Ferexians unleashed a nanoweapon designed to harm the Galra and their technology, not knowing about your arm or Keith's genetics," Allura explains. "Unfortunately, they were unsure of how to reverse the damage to your arm, but they are currently working on manufacturing a cure for Keith."

"Oh," Shiro says, too exhausted to be upset. "So go. Bring Keith back. He needs—needs to get back."

"No," Keith says. "Not leaving without you."

"Yes. You… will. That's a—a direct order," Shiro says, his attempt at a command undercut by his difficulty speaking.

"No!" Keith says in an attempt at a yell.

"Your emotions are… clouding your… judgement."

"Of course they are!"

"Keith. Don't be—"

"Guys," Lance interrupts. "Shiro, arguing with Keith is my thing; don't take that from me. Can we please just take a moment to try to figure out a solution?"

Shiro closes his eyes. "F-fine. First, water. Keith needs… water. There's a pool. A couple doboshes… that way." He tips his head ever so slightly to the right. "One of you could go. Could call for backup if—if needed. It's… close enough."

"I'll go," Lance offers, tucking his helmet under his arm. "Will you be alright looking after these two on your own?" he asks Allura.

"I'm sure I'll manage," she says. "I'll listen for those large creatures; they are quite loud. If you are only a few doboshes away, I should be able to call you back in time. Shout if you need assistance, alright?"

"Oh, trust me, I will," he says, giving them a little wave as he heads off.

Keith wriggles over, tugging at Allura's leg. "What're we gonna do?"

"I'm not certain, but we will come up with a solution," she promises, scooting closer to Keith.

Shiro will definitely need to be carried out of here, but Allura can't touch him. Maybe if they had some sort of insulating material…? But they have no way of getting that, not without splitting up. And as Shiro pointed out, they can't split up with those creatures around; Lance or Allura couldn't defeat one on their own, especially while having to protect others.

"You can… figure something out… in the city. Come back for me later," Shiro says.

"No. Not leaving you," Keith says. "Stop suggesting that."

"Better me than… both of us," Shiro says. "It's the… best solution."

"No!"

"Keith—"

"That's _enough_ ," Allura says. "Keith is correct. We are not leaving you, Shiro."

"So what do… you propose, then?" Shiro challenges.

"Comms?" Keith says. "Could ask someone how to stop the arm."

"Unfortunately, the comms do not work in here," Allura says.

"Oh. Right."

A spark runs through Shiro's arm, causing him to spasm. A pained noise escapes him.

Keith whimpers at the sound, burrowing closer to Allura. "Have to help him," he says, pleading.

"We will. Not to worry. We will figure something out." She undoes her armour and pulls off her gloves so she can provide a more comforting touch. With bare fingers, she brushes the sweat-damp bangs from Keith's too-warm face, running her hand through his hair. It's a bit disgusting, but it's worth it when the tension in Keith's body lessens.

"There's no time," Shiro says.

"Patience yields focus," Keith snipes.

The corners of Shiro's lips turn up at that.

They settle into silence, the alcove filled with the echoes of nothing but gasping, shallow breaths. They still don't have an answer by the time Lance comes back.

Lance is helping Keith to drink out of the helmet filled with water—which, he assures them, he rinsed thoroughly—when Keith says suddenly, "Magic."

Lance frowns. "Magic? What're you talking about?" He cocks his head at Allura. "Has his fever gotten worse?"

Shiro's eyes widen. " _Magic._ The druids… used magic. To—to activate it. My arm. Allura. M-maybe… maybe you could…"

"Use magic to shut it down!" Lance exclaims, spilling water all over Keith. Keith tries to glare at him, but it doesn't work so well when he looks like a wet kitten. Lance grins, apologetically.

"Could you?" Shiro asks.

The thought alone is horrifying. "I don't have proper training," she says. "Something like that requires considerable skill. My magic is unrefined. If I were to fail, the results could be catastrophic."

"Gonna be catas—catastrophic if you don't try," Keith slurs, words tangled on his tongue. "You have to."

She bites her lip. She's _terrified._ It's true, they're out of options, but one wrong move, and she could—she could…

Lance reaches over, squeezing her knee. "You can do it. I know you can."

"I—I…"

"You'll be fine," Lance assures her. "Remember all the awesome stuff you've done with magic in the past? You didn't have training then, and you don't need it now. You're more than capable. Remember what I said before? You're amazing at everything you do. This is no exception. You can do this."

It brings a small smile to her face. How does he always manage to do that?

Reluctantly, she turns to Shiro. "Shiro?"

"Keith's not… leaving without me, so I guess I… can't die yet," he says. Keith scowls at him—there's that soggy kitten look again—causing Shiro's lips to curve up. "Sorry." He shifts his gaze back to Allura. "Do it. Please."

She bites her lip again. "Alright."

She moves to Shiro's side, bringing her hands to hover over his right arm. The burn wound is horrid. Unable to stand the sight of the gruesome injury, she closes her eyes. She gathers all the magic within her, bringing it to her trembling fingertips. She just needs to… focus…

Tentatively, she releases some of her energy—

And Shiro _screams_.

She scrambles backward. "Shiro! Shiro, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry," she gasps. "I shouldn't have—shouldn't have—"

Someone reaches for her hand. Lance. He's got his other arm around Keith, who has his eyes squeezed shut, trembling against him.

Lance runs his thumb over Allura's knuckles until her hiccupping sobs taper out.

They're quiet around Shiro's ragged breathing, until Shiro says, his voice weak as anything, "Allura. It's… it's okay. …Please. T-try again."

She gapes at him. "I _hurt_ you!"

"Still—still breathing," Shiro says. "You can… do it. _Please."_

"I can't. I _can't_ do this," she says, shrinking in on herself.

"Yes, you _can_ ," Lance says. "Listen. I know you're used to getting things right away, but sometimes, it takes more than one try. Trust me, I would know. You can do it. Don't give up."

Allura looks to Keith, hoping he'll be more reasonable about this. But even though he's still shaking, he says, "They're right. You have to help Shiro. You're the only one who can. Please."

"You got this," Lance says, quietly. "We believe in you." He gives her hand a pulse, before letting go.

They… they believe in her. She can do this. She blinks the tears from her eyes and brings her hands back to float above Shiro's arm.

"Ancients, help me," she whispers, staring up at the crystal ceiling; distorted reflections stare back at her. "Please. I have to help him."

Magic gathers at her fingertips once more. Her palms and fingers glow, stray particles of light falling around them. It feels different this time. Stronger. More controlled.

The Galra arm sparks again, causing Shiro to cry out. It's hurt him enough. _No more._

She doesn't hesitate. She dives in, reaching out with her magic, and clarity comes to her like she's known it all along.

She begins to extract the harmful energy from his arm, drawing out thin tendrils of crackling purple. It gets progressively more difficult the deeper she reaches, but she keeps going.

The energy gets darker and darker, stronger and stronger. Removing it drains her rapidly, her energy leaking from her body like through a sieve, but she has to keep going. She can't give up.

Just a little more. With one last burst of strength, she purges his arm of the dark energy, forcing it to release its hold. The last of the pitch-black magic dissipates into the light.

Ragged as his breathing is, Shiro lets out a sigh.

Slowly, Allura reaches for Shiro's right hand. She makes contact, and… nothing happens. There's no shock. Nothing but the feeling of smooth, harmless metal beneath her fingertips.

Shiro reaches across his body with his left hand, placing it over hers. "Thank you," he whispers.

She gives him a small smile, before pushing herself to her feet.

She almost collapses, utterly drained, but Lance is there to catch her. "You did it," Lance says.

"I… did it," she says, in wonder.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she says, standing on her own, "but I'm not sure I have enough energy to carry Shiro very far."

"Yeah, of course," he says. "We'll rest for a bit. Now that we can, we should probably rinse Shiro's burn wound and bandage it up. …But I, uh, _may_ have spilled the water."

Keith scowls at Lance again, his hair still dripping wet. It's still adorable.

"The water source is close," Lance says. "You'll be able to hear if those big monsters are coming, right? You can yell for me if you need me to come back. Are you alright watching these two for a couple more doboshes while I run and get more water?"

Allura nods. "Alright."

Lance tucks his helmet under his arm once again and sets out in a light jog, footsteps getting quieter until she can't hear them anymore.

"Allura?" Shiro asks. "I know you just… saved my life, but can I… ask for another favour?"

"Certainly," she says.

"Would you—would you mind helping… cut me out of this suit? I need to… relieve myself."

"Oh! Yes, of course."

Shiro couldn't have gotten the suit off before now. Even if he could tolerate pulling the sleeve over the burn, the fabric is _melted_ to his skin. With only one working arm, he couldn't have cut away the suit, and no one would have been able to assist him without being shocked.

"Keith, would you allow me to use your dagger?" she asks.

"'Kay." Clumsily, Keith sends the blade, in its dagger form, skittering across the cave floor. "Careful. 's sharp."

"I'll be careful."

She takes the blade and, pulling the undersuit as far from Shiro's skin as possible, cuts through the fabric around his waistline. As promised, the luxite blade tears through the thick material with ease. When she's finished with the front, she wraps her arms around Shiro's waist to pull him forward from where he's propped up against the wall, then swings around to reach his back.

As soon as she's finished, Shiro tries to push himself to his feet, but even that has him panting for breath.

"Shiro, stop," Allura says. "We can't have you exerting any more undue stress on your heart. Allow me to help you."

Shiro looks less than thrilled, but he knows she's right. He doesn't argue.

She slides an arm beneath Shiro's knees and keeps the other at his back, lifting him with more effort than it should take. She takes a step, but a hand grabs her ankle.

"Wait," Keith says. "Don't leave. Where're you going?"

Shiro sighs. "I need to pee, Keith."

Keith tightens his hold on Allura's ankle. "He has to come back. Make sure he comes back."

"Not to worry, Keith," she says. "We'll be right over there."

"…'Kay," he relents. "Come back soon."

"Don't worry. We will."

She carries Shiro to the corner of the little alcove, steadying him as she sets him on his feet. With his left arm braced against her, and the other not working, he sighs and faces her. "Can you…"

She nods. Without a word, she helps him out of the suit. She holds him steady, and pulls the lower half of the suit back up for him when he's done.

"…Thanks," he says, not quite making eye contact.

"Of course."

She scoops him back up into her arms, and carries him back to where Keith—

—is wrestling with a giant snake.

"Keith!" Quickly, she sets Shiro down and runs over.

She grabs her bayard and attacks the tail end of the shiny, violet-scaled creature, making sure not to accidentally hit Keith. Her strike carves a deep gash in its tail.

As she'd hoped, the snake unwraps itself from Keith's body and silently slithers toward her instead, fangs bared, spike-covered hood flaring.

With a few swift lashes of her whip, she cuts through the creature. The snakes are large and fast, but they're no match for her bayard.

Once she's certain it's very, very dead, she retracts her bayard and turns to Keith. "For quiznak's sake, Keith! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Keith shrugs slightly. "You were busy."

She shoots him an exasperated look before dropping to her knees.

Hurried footsteps approach. Lance rounds the corner, gun at the ready. "Are you guys okay? What's going… on…"

His eyes go wide at the tableau. There's an enormous snake, in pieces, in the middle of the floor, fuchsia blood steadily pooling around it. Allura, Keith, and Shiro are all sitting or lying on the floor in various states, scattered around the alcove, all apart from one another.

"Wow," Lance says. "I leave for _literally_ a few minutes, and…"

"Shiro," Keith says, looking at Allura, gesturing in the direction of where she had left him. ' _Please'_ is implicit in his expression.

"Right."

Allura walks back to Shiro, picks him up, deposits him on the floor next to Keith, and promptly collapses.

"Allura!" Lance runs to her.

"I'm fine," she says, exhaustion seeping through her voice. Then, lowly, she mutters, "Just don't leave me to babysit those two on my own again."

Lance gives a quiet laugh. "Uh, about that... I kind of maybe left my helmet back there."

Allura groans.

"I thought you guys were in trouble, okay?" he says. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a dobosh."

"Fine." She glues her gaze to Keith and Shiro, not daring to take her eyes off of them for even a tick.

Keith is pressed up closely against Shiro, his arms wrapped tightly around Shiro's waist, his head buried against his chest.

"Clingy when you're… sick," Shiro says, a slight smile on his face.

"Wouldn't be if you didn't keep disappearing," Keith says, voice muffled.

"Not true. Remember the… Garrison?"

"Mm," Keith says.

"That one time… when you—"

"Shh," Keith says.

"Yes, _shh._ Both of you," Allura says. "Keith, you need to sleep. You will need your strength. Lance will help you, but unfortunately, you will have to walk."

"Mm," Keith says, nuzzling against Shiro.

His breathing slows, steadies out, and within moments, he's asleep.

She watches over the two, envious that she's never shared a bond like theirs. She never will, not quite like that—their history runs deep, and aside from Coran, there's no one in the universe left who shares even a shred of her past. But maybe someday… maybe someday, she can forge something new with someone else, something similarly strong.

"No more snakes?"

At the sound of Lance's voice, she allows herself to tear her gaze away from the two. "No more snakes," she confirms. "Keep your voice down. Keith is sleeping."

"Oh, got it," he says, voice lowering from his usual constant yell. He holds up his helmet, water sloshing inside. "I got the water. We need to figure out some sort of makeshift bandages, too."

"Can… use my suit," Shiro says, quietly. "Already ruined."

"Okay," Lance says. "Uh, we're gonna have to move Keith if we want to bandage Shiro up."

Shiro attempts to shift, but Keith just clings tighter.

Allura sighs, reaching over to extricate him. With considerable effort, she pries him off of Shiro. Keith clings to her instead, sticking like a magnet. "I… suppose this is alright…" she says.

"Aw. You've got a nap buddy," Lance says. "You need to get some sleep too, Allura. You've gotta get your energy back up. I'll take care of Shiro and can take watch after."

"You'll wake me if you need me?"

"For sure."

"Alright then," she concedes, lying down. Keith snuggles closer. He's uncomfortably warm against her body, but she supposes it's not intolerable.

Lance smiles at the sight, his expression equal parts amusement and endearment. "There we go. Sweet dreams, Princess."


	3. Chapter 3

"—re not going back. Not yet. N-not without… the ingredients."

"Are you kidding? Shiro, you can barely breathe. Your heart could give out any minute!"

"Thousands more will die... without the flowers."

"The flowers can wait!"

"No. They c-can't."

Allura blinks her heavy eyelids open. A spectrum of pinks and blues dances in her vision, sharpening into crystals. There's a furnace pressed against her, restricting her movement—Keith. And the two bickering, Shiro and Lance.

Disentangling herself from Keith's arms, she pushes herself up into a seated position.

"Morning, Princess. How're you feeling?" Lance asks.

"Much more rested, thank you," she says. Her limbs are still heavy and she's a touch lightheaded, but she should have enough energy to carry Shiro. "We can get going now."

"Great!" Lance says. "Back to the city it is, then."

"No," Shiro says, firmly.

"We can go back and get the ingredients later," Lance says. "You're more important. Besides, they're the ones who did this to you in the first place!"

" _Lance."_

"I know, I know, we should still help them," Lance says. "I'm just… I'm just worried. Not just for you, but Keith too. His fever's getting worse. …Are you really gonna put his life in jeopardy too?"

It's a fair point, and an unfair question.

Shiro grits his teeth, a pained expression falling over his face as he's crushed by the weight of the decision. The shake in his exhale has nothing to do with the state of his lungs. Still, he doesn't back down. "Thousands of people's lives… are at stake. We put our own lives… on the line every day… to help others. This is no different. K-Keith wouldn't want his life… put first."

Lance scoffs. "He'd risk his own life, maybe. But not yours. Never yours."

"For that many," Shiro says, "he'd know what… the right choice is."

"Yeah, he would. And it wouldn't be what you're suggesting," Lance says. "We can ask him. We should wake him up and get going anyway." He reaches over and gently shakes Keith's shoulder, eliciting a little mumble. Bleary eyes flutter open.

"Hey, man," Lance says, softly. "I wish we didn't have to wake you up, but we gotta get moving. Shiro's in trouble. He's not doing too good. We should go back to the city and get him help right away, don't you think?"

"Of course," Keith says, struggling to push himself up. Allura gives him a hand.

"Keith," Shiro says, "I'm okay. We need to—to get the atraxeth first. Remember? Thousands of Ferexians… are counting on us."

"Oh," Keith says. "Right."

"But we can go back and get that later," Lance says. "We should get Shiro to safety first, right?"

"No," Shiro says, "Don't… worry about me, Keith. I'm… f-fine."

Lance scoffs. "Does he _sound_ fine to you?"

"Thousands of lives… are at risk," Shiro says. "Other people are dying… as we s-speak. We can't just… leave them to die."

"But don't you want to save Shiro?"

Keith's glassy eyes are wide, torn.

"That's enough. Both of you," Allura chastises.

Keith tugs on her arm, looking away. "I—I can't—"

"It's alright," Allura says, as gently as possible. She pulls him in against her and gives Lance and Shiro a stern look from over his shoulder. "We will search for the ingredients for another half varga. If we do not find them within that time, we will cease our search and return to the city. Is that clear?"

"Fine," Shiro says.

"Yes ma'am," Lance says. "Alright. Let's get you guys back into your armour." He grabs Keith's white and red cuirass, bringing it over.

"Can do it myself," Keith mutters, trying to put his boots on but fumbling with the clasps.

"Sure, but it'll be faster with two of us," Lance says, patiently. Keith doesn't protest further.

Releasing Keith, Allura heads over to help Shiro. It's a bit tricky getting the armour back on when he can't stand, having to lift him to get the pieces underneath. Before bringing him to a seated position, she presses her ear to his scarred chest, the top of his undersuit now in strips around his arm. His heartbeat is still erratic, fainter than it should be.

"See? St-still beating," Shiro says. "Don't know what you guys… are so worried about."

She shoots him an unamused look before hauling him up from under his arms to lean him against her knees. She armours his left side, and then grabs the rerebrace that will go over his right upper arm. "I'm sorry," she says in advance. "This may hurt."

He gives her a wry smile. "I can assure you… I've felt worse."

She's as gentle as she can be, but he's still unable to suppress a sharp hiss when she puts pressure on his burnt flesh. She'll have to be careful when she carries him.

"Ready to go?" Lance asks, after she's finished putting together Shiro's armour. Lance has Keith's arm draped across his shoulders.

"I think so." She scoops Shiro up into her arms, one arm beneath his knees and the other sliding under his back. "Is this alright?" she asks Shiro.

"It's fine," he says, resigned. The frustration lacing his voice is understandable—she would hate to have to be carried like this, too.

"We'll have you back on your feet soon enough," she assures him.

"Alright. Let's go this way," Lance says, taking the lead. He gestures in the direction of where he went to retrieve the water. "There's a fork in the path by the pool. We can search the route you guys didn't take."

They set out at a snail's pace, Keith sluggish and stumbling. At this rate, it could be half a quintant before they reach the city. The notion hollows a deep pit in Allura's stomach, but she makes sure not to give it a voice.

"Sorry," Keith slurs as they travel, well aware he's holding them back.

"Hey, none of that," Lance says. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're moving this fast, all things considered. Don't push yourself too hard, alright? I know that's, like, a crazy concept for you, but we've got a long walk ahead of us. We gotta pace ourselves."

Allura smiles to herself: Lance has matured so much. Gentle, encouraging, supportive; she's grown quite fond of this version.

Many doboshes later, they reach the little pool. The shallow water sparkles, blush pink crystals lying just beneath the surface. True to Lance's word, there are two routes they can take. Shiro directs them to the unexplored path on their right.

They venture deeper into the cave. The sounds of ragged, heavy breathing and footsteps in slow motion echo through the pink-lined tunnel. It reminds her of their ticking clock, and needs something—anything—to distract her from it. She has to lessen the weight of the anxiousness smothering them.

She dives back into her earlier conversation with Lance. "So, in your Earth 'bowling'," she starts, her vocal chords at their normal volume but her voice still too loud. The words feel awkward and wrong, abrupt and incongruous with the circumstances, but she continues anyway. "The aim is to throw the ball past your opponent to destroy all of their 'pins'?"

Lance blinks, caught off guard by the strange question, but then he casts her a grateful smile. "Not quite. You don't really throw bowling balls, at least not hard; you just roll them. You're just trying to knock the pins over, not destroy them. And you're not really trying to get it past anyone, either. You just kind of take turns in a line."

A genuine laugh bubbles up and out of her. Humans are adorable.

"Why're you guys talking about bowling?" Keith slurs.

"Uh, why wouldn't we be talking about bowling?" Lance retorts. "It's awesome."

Keith scoffs.

"Okay, yeah, not really," Lance admits. "But _cosmic_ bowling was super cool. Best birthday party ever."

"What's that?" Keith asks. "Cosmic bowling. I know what a birthday party is."

"It was like regular bowling, except some things glowed in the dark, and…" he pauses. "Okay, yeah, that was about it. Stop judging, Princess."

She tries and fails to wipe the light amusement from her face.

"Glow in the dark is kind of a big thing on Earth when you're a kid. Like these crystals?" Lance gestures at their surroundings with his free hand. "I would've lost my mind if I'd seen this when I was younger."

She follows his indication, looking around them, and—the crystals are different here. While the cave they've explored so far has been covered in glowing blues and purples and pinks, the walls and ceiling and floor here have shifted to a vivid tangerine.

It _feels_ different here, too. There's something humming in the air, reverberating in her marrow. When she focuses, she can sense the faint murmur of… quintessence.

"I think they're close," she says. They reach a junction, and she nods leftward. "This way."

She chases the dim, pulsing sensation. Their half varga is almost up, but they're almost there; she can feel it under her skin. The crystals graduate from orange to goldenrod as they get closer.

Just when their deadline is about to run out, they reach a grotto. It dazzles in bright yellow. A massive crystal rests at the centre, radiating quintessence. And around it, sprouting between crags of crystal, are delicate sprigs of shimmering flowers. _Atraxeth._

"You found it," Lance says, eyes wide as he drinks in the beauty around them.

"We did," she says. "Rest for a moment while Lance and I gather these," she says to Shiro and Keith, setting Shiro down.

Lance guides Keith to take a seat. "Yeah. Take a quick breather," he says, with a clap to Keith's shoulder.

"'Kay." Keith immediately crawls closer to Shiro, curling up at his knees like a kitten and closing his eyes. He's asleep in an instant.

Allura and Lance approach the centre of the chamber. The atraxeth is even more beautiful up close, its petals opalescent and sparkling, its stem and leaves like sea glass.

"They're lovely," Allura says, reaching between the crystals and plucking one.

"Yeah," Lance agrees, doing the same and holding it up where he can inspect it like a gemstone. "Almost a shame they'll be pulverized into powder. They're gonna be all squished, too, carrying them back—we'll want our hands free, so I guess we'll just have to shove 'em into our armour? …Unless…"

He places his hands on the sides of Allura's helmet. "May I?" She gives a short nod, and he lifts her helmet off. Carefully, he tucks the sprig of atraxeth into her hair. "There," he says, beaming. "Perfect."

The two work quickly to gather the remaining flowers. There aren't all that many of them, though supposedly they're highly potent, and the powder from a few can be diluted enough to treat thousands.

Lance deftly weaves the rest of the flowers into Allura's hair. It only takes a moment; he must have practice with this sort of thing. He takes a half tick to admire his handiwork, pleased with himself, before placing the helmet back over his head. "Alright. Let's—"

"Guys?" Shiro's voice is quiet but frantic.

There's a large snake slithering full speed toward Shiro and Keith. No— _two._ They're different from the ones they've seen before, glittering chartreuse with glowing eyes a few shades brighter. They have more teeth, too: one of them flashes its mouth open to reveal several rows of wicked sharp fangs.

Allura sprints toward them as fast as she can, and Lance materializes his gun, opening fire. Lance manages to hit one, stunning it, but the other slips past and lunges for Keith and Shiro, jaws wide open.

Shiro lurches forward to protect Keith. His shield won't come up—the electricity from his arm destroyed his armour's functionality—so he uses his left hand to thrust his right arm forward, blocking its jaws with that. The armour from his elbow down shatters as the fangs pierce through, the dull clang of metal reverberating through the grotto as they strike Shiro's arm and hand beneath.

It holds the creature off for a few moments, long enough for Lance to get a hit in. Allura finally gets within range, diving forward to reach the other with her whip.

These snakes are much stronger than the others they've encountered, and Shiro has to block three more bites before Allura and Lance are finally able to take them out.

By the end of it, Shiro's breathing is brutally laborious. "Don't be—don't be alarmed," he gasps. "But I think I'm gonna… pass out." And with that, his eyes roll back, and he collapses.

Keith jolts awake as Shiro hits the ground beside him with a thud. "Shiro? …Shiro!" He looks around, eyes saucer-wide as he pieces together what happened. "I—I wasn't—I should've—I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry—"

"Hey," Lance says, trying to keep his voice level despite his eyes screaming _panic._ "It's okay, it's okay."

"He's still breathing," Allura says—it's impossible not to hear. She lifts Shiro's limp body into her arms. "Let's get going. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get him help."

Keith shoves himself to his feet, stumbling as he lurches forward.

"Whoa, easy, man," Lance says, catching him before he faceplants. "We gotta pace ourselves, remember? We can't tire ourselves out too fast."

"Fine," Keith mutters, though he still pushes himself as he sets their pace, heading back the way they came.

By the time they reach the pink pool again and start retracing Keith and Shiro's steps, Keith is flagging.

By the time they reach a three-way junction, Lance is bearing most of Keith's weight.

"Which way did you come from, Keith?" Allura asks.

"Um… Righ—no. Left? …Not… not the middle, but…" His face scrunches up as he tries to think. "I—I can't remember which. I-I'm sorry—"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Lance says. "We'll wake Shiro up and ask him."

Allura shifts Shiro in her arms. "Shiro? Please wake up," she says. She shakes him a little. "Shiro?" she tries again, but he doesn't stir. She tries to push down her panic.

Lance reaches over and pats at Shiro's colourless cheek a couple times. "Hey. Shiro."

Shiro's still breathing, but there's no response.

Allura sets him on the ground. She tries shaking his shoulder one more time, this time more vigorously, before undoing the armour that remains covering his right arm. "I'm sorry," she whispers, as she wraps her fingers around the bandage covering his wound and presses down.

It elicits a noise between a groan and a gasp, pain twisting Shiro's features. His eyes crack open.

"I'm so sorry, Shiro," she says, "But we had to wake you. We've reached a fork in the path, and we need to know which way you came from."

"'m sorry," Keith says. "Sorry I couldn't remember—"

"It's… okay," Shiro manages, through clenched teeth. "We—we stuck to the… right wall. So just… k-keep taking lefts."

Lance smacks his hand to his helmeted forehead. "Why didn't I think of that? Of course you guys would've chosen a smart way of doing that. I should've known."

Allura should have figured as well. If they'd thought about it strategically, they'd have arrived so much earlier, and Shiro and Keith wouldn't be—

"I-I knew that. How did I forget that?" Keith says, his voice shaky. "Why can't I think straight?"

"It's alright," Shiro says. "We were hit with a—a virus, but Allura and Lance'll… get us back soon. Get you feeling better."

"Yeah," Lance says. "The Ferexians will have that cure ready for you by the time we get back to the main hospital. Allura made sure of it."

Her method of ensuring that hadn't exactly been her most diplomatic moment—it _may_ have involved a threat or two—but it had been effective.

"We'll get Shiro fixed up, too," Allura promises. "We'll get him into a healing pod as soon as we're out of this cave."

"After we've… delivered the ingredients," Shiro says.

"Wrong," Lance says, "Castle first."

"No," Shiro insists.

" _Yes."_

"Lance," Shiro says, warningly, attempting to put on his leader voice.

" _Shiro,"_ Lance mimics, not budging an inch.

"This again? Are you quiznaking kidding me," Allura mutters. "Listen, you two. Here is what we are going to do. We are going to split up once we exit the cave. I will take Shiro back to the Castle, and Lance will bring Keith to the hospital and deliver the atraxeth. There will be no more arguing. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Shiro says, a touch petulant.

"Right. Yeah," Lance says.

With a quiet huff, she picks Shiro back up and starts down the left path.

They make it about another half varga before a faint serpentine hiss hits her ears, coming from somewhere ahead of them. She halts. "Something's ahead," she says, voice hushed. It sounds like a snake, though the ones they've seen so far haven't made a sound.

The intermittent hissing gets louder. She materializes her bayard. "Whatever it is, it's coming our way."

She scans the walls around them, finding a slight recess, and sets Shiro down there. Lance brings Keith over, leaving Keith beside Shiro and pulling out his bayard. He stands guard in front of the two, sniper rifle at the ready.

Keith unsheathes his blade and activates its sword form, staggering forward.

"Whoa, hey, you should hang back too," Lance says, holding onto his shoulder. "Just take it easy. Let me and Allura handle this."

Keith shakes his head, defiant. "I can help."

"Keith, you're barely standing," Allura points out. "Don't put yourself in unnecessary danger. You need to rest."

"I'll be fine," Keith says, the little pucker in his brow unfading.

Allura tries a more tactical approach. "You're unwell. You'll be putting us all at risk if we have to keep our eyes on you instead of focusing on the fight."

Keith glares at her. "I can—"

"Keith," Shiro interrupts. "If something comes, I'm not gonna be able to… do much like this. I'm gonna need… s-some protection. Can you stay back… here with me?"

Keith nods. "I'll protect you, Shiro," he says, stepping back. "Not gonna let anything happen to you."

Lance flashes Shiro a grin. "Good thinking."

Shiro gives the slightest of nods.

Allura advances, ready to be the first line of attack. The hissing is loud, now, yet still there are no footsteps.

It finally approaches, and sure enough, it's a snake. The thing slithers toward them alarmingly fast, deep purple and glittering. What looks tiny in the distance grows and grows… and grows. It's _huge._ Its beady eyes flash with dangerous intent.

Allura runs forward to greet it. She pulls out her whip and, as soon as it's within striking distance, lashes at it with all her might.

The hit doesn't even leave a mark.

She tries again, this time striking its neck, but her whip can't get past its hard scales. The creature is completely unfazed, barely noticing her.

She goes for the neck again—maybe if she hits it in the same spot repeatedly…

The thing slithers straight past her, heading toward the others. _No._ She turns on her heel and races after it. She can't let it get to them.

Lance shoots at the creature, but his shots don't seem to do a thing. It continues on course, straight for the three of them.

"No!" Allura cries. Desperately, she leaps and throws herself at the snake, wrapping her arms and legs around it as tightly as she can. She can barely reach around its thick body. She can't do a thing to hurt it, but her presence does get its attention.

The thing twists itself into a knot, trapping her in a tight bind, and _squeezes_. She can't help but scream as the pressure forces the air from her lungs and fractures her armour piece by piece.

"Allura!"

She can hear footsteps as Lance runs forward. A dull _clang_ resounds over and over. He must be striking at it with his broadsword, and from the sound of it, it's not doing a thing.

It constricts tighter, bruising every inch of her. Tighter, and tighter.

But before it shatters her bones, a sickening squelch interrupts the rhythmic thuds of Lance's sword striking hard scales, and the pressure relents. The snake's body goes slack.

Allura gasps for air, taking several greedy gulps before slowly climbing out of its tangled grip.

Dark, sludge-like blood pools under the snake's head. It slowly oozes from where Keith's blade is driven through the creature's eye and into its brain, buried to the hilt.

"…See?" Keith says, bent over as he pants for breath. "Told you… I could help."

And then he drops to all fours and heaves.

Startled out of his shock, Lance dashes to Keith's side, holding him steady and sitting him back when he's finished throwing up what little there is in his stomach. He curses. "You okay, man?"

Feebly, Keith nods. "'m fine."

"Allura?" Shiro asks. "How're you?"

"I'm alright," she says. Sore as quiznak, but nothing's broken as far as she can tell. "My armour is ruined, though." Most of it is on the ground in pieces.

"Can—can take mine," Keith says, still panting.

Allura shakes her head. "No. What if something else attacks?"

"Then you're gonna need it," Keith slurs.

"So will you!"

"You're doing most of the fighting," Keith says. "I'll stay back. You two'll keep us safe."

"But we just—"

"You can do it," Shiro says, his voice faint but steady with conviction. "We know you can."

"Armour's heavy, too," Keith adds. "Will be easier to walk without it."

"…Alright," she concedes. "If you're sure."

Shiro nods, giving her a weak smile.

Keith and Shiro have faith in them. They won't let them down. "We'll get you home," she vows. "Just hang in there a little longer."


	4. Chapter 4

"I need you to do something for me." Keith's voice is quiet, audible only to Allura as she helps him take small sips of water from his helmet.

"And what's that?"

His glassy eyes brim with intensity. "You have to leave me behind."

Her response is immediate: "No."

Keith turns his gaze to Shiro, who lies unconscious beside them. His breathing is strained and shallow; pain lines his face, even in sleep. "You have to get him out of here."

"And we will," she assures. "We'll get you both out of here."

"I'm slowing you down. Allura, _please."_ Keith's voice cracks. "I can't be the reason he doesn't get help in time. I can't— I can't…"

"Ssh, it's going to be fine, Keith," she says, setting the helmet down and stroking his too-warm cheek. He leans in, seeking touch. "It'll be alright."

Keith shakes his head. "My life doesn't matter. But he _has_ to live."

She uses both hands to tilt his face toward her so he can see the full extent of her frown. "What do you mean your life doesn't matter?"

"Shiro can fly the Black Lion. He's a better leader than I could ever hope to be. You don't need me around."

"Don't be ridiculous," she says. "Shall we ask Shiro what he thinks about that?"

He shakes his head. "Shiro's biased."

"That bias is called love, Keith. And Shiro's not the only one. Even without all you do for the Coalition and the Blade of Marmora, we'd be devastated if we were to lose you."

"You… would be?" he whispers, his voice threadbare. How long has it been since he's received open affection?

Her words are deliberate and punctuated as she tells him, "Yes. You're our family, Keith. We love you. So we're not leaving you behind."

"…Oh," he whispers, bewildered.

"Now drink up," she says, lifting the helmet again.

She helps him drink a little more before taking some water herself. It's stagnant and doesn't taste great—teeming with microbes, probably—but it's necessary to stave off dehydration.

When she's had her fill, she wraps her arm around Keith. He nuzzles her shoulder.

Footsteps announce Lance's return, back from relieving himself. "You guys sure look cozy."

"Don't get jealous," she says, the corners of her lips lifting. "Are you ready to get going?"

"Hold on. We should probably try to wake Shiro up and get some water in him first. Don't know when we're gonna see water next."

"Good idea," she agrees.

Keith slinks out from her reach and crawls over to Shiro, squeezing his hand with both of his. "Shiro," he says, softly. When Shiro doesn't budge, he shakes his shoulder. "Shiro." His voice is louder this time, but no less gentle. "C'mon. Wake up."

Shiro's long lashes flutter open. "K-Keith?"

"Hi," Keith whispers.

"Are you okay?" Shiro asks.

"Don't worry 'bout me," Keith says. "You gotta drink something before we get going."

"Oh," Shiro says, faintly. "Alright."

Allura pulls Shiro up to a seated position and holds him there while Lance brings the helmet to his lips. Just taking a few sips leaves him spent, and he's asleep again within moments.

They set out, and once again, the cave is quiet with nothing but echoes of slow, shuffling footsteps and laboured breathing.

The absence of external noise makes it all the more startling when a loud _crack_ thunders through the cave. Bits of crystal start to rain from the ceiling.

"Get down!" Lance shouts, diving and shielding Keith with his body. Allura drops to the ground, covers Shiro, and prays.

…

Allura wakes to a splitting headache. An unrelenting pressure weighs down on her, making it hard to breathe. Everything hurts.

"—ura? Come on. Please, answer me."

She needs more oxygen. She tries to take a deep inhale but chokes when sediment fills her lungs. "Lance?" she coughs.

"You're awake! Thank quiznak. Are you okay?"

She's buried beneath chunks of what must be crystal. It's heavy, but she manages to shift. She can move her limbs, at least. "I'm alright."

Someone else coughs, harsh and ragged. Keith. His voice is faint as he croaks between gasping breaths, "Shiro."

 _Shiro._ He's underneath her. She has to get up, _now._

She uses all her strength to lift the weight from on top of them, letting it fall to the side. She levers herself up and off of him, then tears his chestplate off and presses an ear to his thorax.

Silence.

"H-he's not breathing," she stammers. "I can't hear his heartbeat."

"Can you resuscitate him?" Lance asks.

"I— I've never done that before."

"Okay. Then you've gotta this crystal off of me _right now."_

A massive chunk of crystal pins Lance's right shoulder down, trapping both him and Keith. She drags herself over and manages to lift it just enough for them to roll out from underneath.

Lance's shoulder hangs wrong when he sits up, but he ignores it. He scrambles over to Shiro, stacks his hands over Shiro's chest, and uses his weight to press down hard.

He lifts his hands, then presses down again. He does it over and over, finding a steady rhythm. Tears glint from his cheeks in the dim light. Whether they're from distress or physical pain is unclear, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't stop him.

He opens Shiro's mouth, holds his nose, and presses his own mouth to Shiro's as he breathes for him. He goes back to chest compressions, then breathes for him again. He repeats this cycle, only interrupted when his own lungs fill with debris and he has to cough.

And finally, _finally_ , she hears it. Shiro takes a stuttering breath. And another, and another.

Lance presses his fingers to Shiro's carotid. "He's back."

Allura's entire body sags in relief. Keith's does too. She hadn't even noticed his vice grip on her arm until it slackens.

Her heart drops down from where it was lodged in her throat… and continues to plummet as she follows Lance's gaze. The tunnel ahead has been blocked off.

Lance's lip trembles, false calm swept out from under him. "How're we gonna get out of here?"

"By digging ourselves out," Keith says, stumbling to his feet. He staggers over to the giant heap of crystals obstructing the tunnel and hauls one out of the way. The effort exhausts him and he pants for breath, which leads to him doubled over, coughing.

"Quiznak, Keith," Lance says. "Are you okay?"

"None of us will be if we don't get out of here," he chokes.

"But moving all that _by hand?"_ Lance says, incredulous. "That's gonna take forever."

Keith starts to pitch forward, but catches himself. "Then we better get started."

…

Crystal by quiznaking crystal.

Most of the burden falls to Allura: Shiro's unconscious, Keith passes out shortly after they begin, and there's only so much weight Lance can lift with his dislocated shoulder. She's never been more exhausted in her life—and that's saying something.

She hauls the crystals out of the way, one by one, for what feels like decaphoebs. But eventually, cracks of light from the other side peek through.

"Have I told you how amazing you are?" Lance says, starry-eyed.

"Once or twice," she says, wiping her brow with the back of her wrist. Sweat stings her eyes. "But I'd be open to hearing it again."

"You're freaking amazing, Allura."

She clears the last few crystals from the opening to make a hole large enough to squeeze through, then drops to her knees.

While she tries to catch her breath, Lance goes to rouse Keith. "Hey," he says, poking him. "Wakey wakey."

Keith frowns, his eyelids struggling to open. He's in a bad way, drained of colour save for the splotches of pink across his cheeks. "Ngh… what…"

Pulling off his glove, Lance pushes the sweat-plastered bangs out of Keith's face and feels his forehead. He winces. "Fever's worse."

"'M… I'm fine," Keith mumbles. "Shiro? …Shiro…" He reaches over to Shiro and brings a clumsy hand to his cheek. "Shiro're you okay?"

Shiro doesn't wake.

Keith's face crumples. "Shiro…"

"Shiro's gonna be fine," Lance soothes. "He's breathing, see? Just let him rest for now." He gestures to the narrow opening. "Think you can get up over those crystals and through there?"

Keith nods.

"Good," Lance says. "Allura, can we get Shiro through?"

"We'll manage," she says. "You two go on ahead and help from the other side."

"On it."

Climbing over the pile of crystals while carrying Shiro isn't easy, especially when he's so fragile and she's so worn out. Manoeuvring him through the small opening isn't easy either, but they get there eventually.

When she crawls through to the other side, her stomach drop like a stone. Fragmented crystals are _everywhere_. They're all shapes and sizes, from giant crags they'll have to find their way around to heaps of rubble that will be gruelling to walk on. Plenty of ways to be trapped; plenty of ways to stumble and fall.

"…On the bright side, a lot of the things trying to kill us are probably dead?" Lance offers.

"That's one way of framing it," she says.

"You know me. Silver lining Lance."

The cave walls blur in her vision. She's ready to collapse, and carrying Shiro the rest of the way seems just about impossible. Lance is struggling with Keith, too. Keith is just barely standing.

But they've faced impossible odds before, and they'll live to do it again.

She sets her jaw. "Let's go."

…

They walk.

And they walk.

One foot, in front of the other.

On, and on, and on.

…

…

Keith's condition gets worse. His clarity fades. He can't hold water down.

"I don't… feel good."

"I know. I'm sorry. Hang on just a little longer."

…

…

They can't continue. Not like this.

There's too much weight.

The armour, it has to come off. Allura's… and Shiro's.

It's dangerous, but there's no choice.

Defenseless, they press onward.

…

…

"Shiro…? Is he—"

"He's alright, Keith."

"But… but he—"

"I know you're scared. But everything is going to be fine."

…

…

"Where… where're we going?"

"Home, Keith. We're going home, I promise."

…

…

Allura taps into energy reserves she doesn't have, siphoning her life force with each step.

She's not supposed to abuse her quintessence like this.

Coran's going to be so angry with her when he finds out.

If he finds out.

They need to make it back first.

…

…

They collapse, and get back up again.

And again.

And again.

…

…

There's no end in sight.

…

Finally, Keith stops in his tracks. He tips his head up to the ceiling.

"You gonna throw up again?" Lance asks.

"No," Keith manages, between heaving breaths. "Listen."

Allura struggles to focus her attention beyond the buzzing in her ears, beyond the ragged breathing and her own pounding heart. But then she hears it. Hears _them._

"The Lions," she whispers. "They're roaring."

Lance's eyes shimmer. "We… we actually…"

"We did it."

The cave gradually gets brighter, the range of colours opening up beyond blue and pink. The morning sun spills into the mouth of the cave, warm and soft, refracting through crystals in scattered rainbows.

The Red and Blue Lions are waiting for them there, their jaws wide open. They're restless, bonds thrumming with anticipation and protectiveness.

"I'll take Shiro back to the Castle and get him into a pod," Allura says. "I can join you two at the hospital when I'm done."

"No need," Lance says. "I got it covered. Just leave the flowers with me."

Lance carefully unweaves the atraxeth sprigs from her hair. "I can't believe we made it," he says quietly, gathering every last stem and petal and placing them in his helmet. "We did good today."

"Yes," she smiles. "We did well."

Lance raises a brow. "You correcting my grammar, Princess?"

She laughs. "I'm afraid I haven't the patience for that."

He gives her a lopsided grin as he ducks back under Keith's arm, flower-filled helmet tucked into the crook of his good elbow. "See you back at the Castle."

"Yes. See you at home."

Allura hauls Shiro into the cockpit of the Blue Lion and sets him down. There's no room for grace in her movements, and he hits the floor with a soft _whump._

Shiro's eyes flutter open. "A-Allura?" he whispers. His gaze darts around the cockpit. "We… made it?"

She takes his wrist, feels his weak pulse beneath his skin. "Yes. We're on our way back to the Castle now."

"Keith… and the Ferexians…"

"Lance is with Keith en route to the hospital," she says. "They'll deliver the atraxeth and get Keith's cure."

"Thank you," Shiro rasps. "I kn-knew… knew you and L-Lance could…"

"Ssh," she soothes. "Don't strain yourself. Just rest."

When she pushes herself up to stand, she teeters precariously. _Just a little further._ She drags herself to the pilot's seat, and Blue lifts off.

She hails the Castle. "Coran?"

"Princess! Are you alright? I haven't been able to contact any of you for nearly a full quintant! You—you look awful!"

"I know, Coran." She's so tired. Too tired for this. "I'll be fine, but please prepare the healing pods. Shiro has sustained severe electrical damage, and Lance will need one as well for his shoulder injury. Hopefully, the Ferexians at the hospital will have something to bring Keith's fever down, but it would be best to have some antipyretics on hand just in case."

"Electrical damage? Injury? Fever? Princess, what _happened?"_

"Lance and I can fill you in later," she says.

"But—"

"Please, Coran."

"Alright."

She closes her eyes and relies on Blue's sight to guide them back to the Castle and through the bay doors. When they finally touch down, she hefts Shiro up in her arms one last time and carries him in.

The Castle's corridors are far too long. They start to tilt in her vision. Slav was right. They should really have a more efficient way of getting around.

"Princess!"

Coran's voice.

The med bay. They've reached the med bay.

She's dizzy.

So dizzy.

She doesn't drop Shiro, but it's a near thing.

She sets him down and manages exactly one step before she hits the floor.

…

When Allura wakes, she's cold, on her feet, and falling. She tumbles out of the cryopod and into Lance's waiting arms.

"Lance," she murmurs.

He smiles. "Welcome back to the land of the living. How're you doing?"

She's tired and heavy and hungry, but it's manageable. "I'm alright, but what about Shiro and Keith?"

Lance shifts so she can see the cryopod next to hers. Shiro sleeps peacefully inside. His breathing is steady, biorhythms stable. At the base of Shiro's pod is Keith, curled up with a large blanket. A bucket and water pouch sit off to the side.

The edge of the blanket near Keith's head shifts, and the mice poke their heads out. She extricates herself from Lance's arms and steps forward.

 _Hello, friends. Have you been taking care of Keith for us?_

The mice squeak in affirmation.

Keith's bleary eyes blink open. "'Lura?"

"Hello, Keith." She takes a seat next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before," he says.

She brings the back of her hand to his forehead. It's hard to gauge his temperature when her own blood is running cold from the pod, but he doesn't seem so dangerously hot. He's still sweating, though, and he chases her touch, holding her cool hand in place to keep it at his cheek.

He stiffens when he realizes what he's doing and releases his grip. "S-sorry. I, uh…"

"It's alright," she assures him, and leaves her hand where it is. "Did you receive your medicine from the Ferexians?"

He nods. "'s pretty gross."

"Coran would say that means it works," she says.

"Coran says a lot of things," Keith mumbles. "But the people at the hospital promised I'd be better in a couple quintants. More important, we got the flowers to them okay."

"Yeah, they were super grateful," Lance says. "We got enough to treat everyone who needs it, and they'll have some left over in case they need it in the future."

"That's wonderful." Allura's lips quirk up. "Will they be throwing us a parade?"

Lance laughs. "Keith said no parade."

"Why would we need a parade?!" Keith says, his brow furrowed deep. Allura has to stifle a giggle.

Her stomach takes the brief lull in conversation as license to growl loudly, tinging her cheeks pink. "Have you both eaten?"

Lance winces. "Uh, Coran made us some… gracolian flargnax?"

"Oh no."

"Yeah, it was… not great." Lance nods his head toward Keith and the bucket. "Didn't sit so well with this one."

She grimaces. "I can imagine."

She lifts the edge of the blanket near Keith's face, exposing the mice. "Friends, I believe Hunk has some trifolian lilyroot stored in the pantry. Would you assist me in making a broth for Keith?"

The mice squeak their assent and scurry off toward the kitchen.

"The mice can cook?" Lance asks.

"I'll instruct them from here," Allura says.

 _"You_ can cook?"

She gives Lance a playful scowl. "Are you doubting my abilities?"

"No, it just seems, like, unreasonable that you're amazing at _literally_ everything," he says.

"I wouldn't say amazing," she says. "I'm no Hunk. But I spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen when I was younger. I used to sneak down after hours, and our head chef would teach me to make things."

"What kinds of things?"

He seems genuinely interested, so she draws upon honey sweet memories and relives her kitchen adventures. Lance listens with rapt interest and presses for details; Keith stays quiet but relaxed under her touch.

Allura directs the mice to wash, chop, stir, and heat. She has them turn up the flame, ready to sacrifice a little richness of flavour to get it in Keith's system faster—he must be famished. It's not long before the mice come back, pushing a floating tray with steaming bowls of pale broth.

"Whoa, that smells great," Lance says. The mice's little pastel faces light up with pride, beaming at him.

Allura helps Keith sit, propping his back against her, and Lance steadies his hands as he brings the bowl to his lips.

"'s good," Keith murmurs, gratefully. "Thanks. And— thanks for getting us out of there. …Both of us."

"Of course," Allura says. "Do you remember what I said?"

He nods. A slight smile blossoms over his lips.

After Keith has finished most of his bowl, Allura and Lance drink their own. It's light, refreshing, and desperately needed.

"It's official," Lance says, slurping down the last of his bowl. "You're good at everything in the universe. And I'm not just saying that to flirt with you."

"No?"

"I mean, I could be. If you wanted me to."

She blushes and skirts. "Keith, why don't you lie down and get some more rest?"

Keith shakes his head. "Shiro's almost out."

She looks at the display. Just a few more doboshes. "Was I really in the pod for nearly as long as Shiro?"

"Yeah," Lance says. "Coran said your quintessence was severely depleted. Damaged your cells pretty bad. Sounds like he's gonna give you a mother of a lecture after he's finished up with Hunk and Pidge."

She sighs. "It's not as if there were any other options. He'll have to understand."

"But you feel okay now?"

"A bit tired," she admits. "I probably will be for a few quintants. But otherwise, I'm fine."

She pulls the blanket up and lets Keith rest his head on her shoulder as they count down the doboshes. Five, four, three, two…

When Shiro gets out of the pod, Keith barrels forward and wraps his arms around him, clinging tight.

"Keith! Are you okay?"

"'m fine." Keith's voice goes quiet when he says, "You scared me."

Shiro presses his lips to Keith's hair. "I know. You had me worried too."

"Good thing Lancey Lance and Allura were there to save the day, amirite?" Lance says, interrupting with a grin.

Shiro chuckles softly. "Very good thing. Did you—"

"Yep," Lance says. "Got the meds for Keith and delivered the flowers. There's more than enough to cure everyone."

"That's great to hear," Shiro says. "Really great."

"Yeah. They felt really bad about the nano-whatever, by the way," Lance says. "They wanna make up for it. Said they'll help the Coalition in any way they can going forward."

"I guess that's one way to gain support," Shiro says. "I'll have to let more planets accidentally almost kill me."

"Mmph." Keith's voice is muffled, buried in Shiro's shoulder. "Shiro, no."

Shiro laughs, his tone fond and warm. "I'm kidding, Keith. Don't worry."

Keith huffs. "Lie down."

"Lie down?"

"You heard me," Keith says. "You just got out of the pod. You're tired, right?"

"I— well, yeah—"

"And I don't want you going anywhere. So lie down. Please," Keith adds in a whisper.

Shiro's expression goes impossibly gentle. "Alright."

Keith tugs him down to the floor and pulls the blanket over them both. Snuggling against him, Keith loops a protective arm around his waist. Shiro settles in and relaxes.

Keith lifts a corner of the blanket with his other hand and looks up at Allura expectantly in silent invitation.

Heart warming, she slips under the blanket beside him. It's uncomfortably hot, but she'll bear it without complaint.

She turns to Lance. "Well? Will you be joining us?"

He points at his chest. "Me?"

"Yes, isn't that how the story goes? With all of us, together?"

"I— Yeah. Yeah, that was how that ended."

She gives him a smile and taps the space beside her. "Tell me another story."


End file.
